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Chapter 3

That night, Maddy's parents had given her the task of telling Zoe and Josh, so Mark came over to their house to help Maddy prepare dinner. They had an enjoyable time flicking sauce at each other and generally wreaking havoc. Josh came home half way through their preparations and almost got bulls eyed with a bone meant for the trash can.

"Hey watch it!" He exclaimed as he entered the house. "What are you doing?" He came over to the counter to see what they were making and his mouth watered at the smell. He noticed Reynolds standing next to Maddy and looked at him in surprise. "I haven't seen you in a while. You two back together?"

Reynolds looked at Maddy sideways and then looked back to Josh. "Yeah, we're back together. In fact, that's why I'm here. There's more to the story, so we thought we would make dinner and share."

Josh raised his eyebrows. "K, whatever." He turned to go to his room but abruptly turned back, whirling on Mark. "Wait, you're not getting married are you?"

Both Mark and Maddy protested at the same time and then looked at each other in mortification. Maddy clarified.

"No Josh, we're not getting married. We'll tell you at dinner."

With a disbelieving expression, Josh disappeared into his room. Maddy looked sideways at Mark and raised her eyebrows.

When dinner was finally ready, everyone had returned home except her father. Liz called him on the communicator while they set the table, preparing the food just so. At least if the news was bad, the food could be good. Liz returned to the room, saying Jim was on his way. They all sat down, waiting for Jim. Maddy shook her leg nervously under the table. She hadn't seen her father since last night. Mark slid a calming hand down her leg and squeezed ever so slightly. After a moment, the door opened and Jim entered. He gave Mark a hard look and slammed the door behind him. Josh jumped.

"What's up dad?" He asked innocently. "Everything all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Josh. Sorry I'm late," he said, laying his coat on the couch and sitting down next to Josh. "Shall we?" He asked, indicating the food.

After everyone had taken their first couple bites, Jim looked at Maddy. "So, you have some news for us?" It was clear to Maddy that her father was still angry. Her mother obviously felt it to because she kicked him under the table.

"I was going to wait until everyone was finished, Dad."

He nodded and continued to eat. When Maddy felt like everyone had eaten enough she cleared her throat. "Josh, Zoe: Mark and I have something to tell you. Mom and Dad already know." Josh put down his fork and Zoe looked at her expectantly. Mark glanced at Maddy and then said,

"Maddy's pregnant… we're pregnant." He looked at her again and then back to her siblings. Josh was staring at Reynolds with a disbelieving expression on his face. Zoe looked confused.

"Mommy," Zoe asked, "I don't understand. I thought people who are married have babies."

Jim threw up his hands and pushed himself away from the table, moving into the living room with his hands on his head.

"Well Zoe," Liz began as she watched Jim out of the corner of her eye. "Maddy and Mark made a mistake. They did something they weren't supposed to do and that's how Maddy got pregnant. So, people can have babies when they're not married they just usually have them after they're married."

Zoe thought about that for a moment. "So, are they going to get married?"

Liz bit back a laugh. "Well honey, I think that's something Maddy and Mark will have to work out. I don't know if they are or not."

Zoe pursed her lips, trying to figure out how all this fit together. "So, I'm going to have another sister?"

"No," Liz said with a smile on her face, "Maddy is your sister and it will be her daughter so it will be you niece."

"Oh." Zoe still seemed a little confused but she seemed to let it go, turning to Maddy. "Maddy, is your tummy big yet?"

Maddy smiled at her and shook her head. "Not yet, but probably soon."

Josh seemed to come out of his reverie just then and he looked at Mark incredulously. "You got my sister pregnant? How could you?"

Mark sighed and pressed his lips together, awaiting a similar reaction as Jim. He wasn't disappointed.

"You son of a bitch! That's my little sister! She's only 16, not even legally an adult, much less old enough to have a kid. I can't believe you man." Josh's voice was rising by the second and his father turned back to watch the interaction.

"You realize you've ruined her life forever right? She'll never get to be a kid again, and certainly never a teenager again. She won't be able to do what she wants because she'll be caring for your kid!" He stood up so quickly that his chair fell to the ground. Zoe started to cry and Liz stood also, trying to calm him down.

"Josh, listen to me, this isn't the way-"

"No, mom! This is Maddy we're talking about! How can you be so calm? And Reynolds!" He turned to look at him, still seated at the table. "What was that whole nice boy façade? The courting thing? Was that just a smoke screen to get us to trust you?" Josh shook his head, at the point of not knowing what to do with his anger. He looked ready to throw a punch but thought better of it when he compared himself to Reynolds. He settled for letting out an exasperated noise and leaving the house with a slam of the door behind him. Jim connected eyes with Liz.

"Like father, like son?" Liz asked softly.

Jim shook his head at her. "Don't, just don't." And with that, he too was out the door. A crying Zoe ran to her mother's arms and she scooped her up to cry on her shoulder.

"Why- is- everyone- so- angry!" Zoe asked between sobs. "I – thought- babies- were- good!"

Liz smiled and sent a smile towards Maddy and Mark also.

"It will be okay you two. The boys in this family just deal with things differently than we do. They'll get used to the idea. Don't worry."

Mark grimaced and Maddy sighed. "I guess I just didn't think Josh would take it so hard," Maddy said.

Liz laughed as she rocked Zoe. "Josh is more like your father than you know."

OOOOO

The next day was Monday again, so Maddy was back to school and Reynolds was back to work. Maddy had been helping with the teaching. The fact that Maddy was pregnant seemed to fall to the wayside, since no one at school knew. Home was another matter entirely.

Josh was avoiding her as much as possible and hadn't talked to her since the night before. Her father was equally silent, though not avoiding her quite as much as Josh. Maddy didn't mind that Josh was avoiding her but it hurt her deeply that her father was doing the same. Since Mark had to work late, Maddy turned in early, sitting on her bed next to Zoe, who was playing with her dinosaurs, waiting to be tucked in bed. She didn't notice Zoe watching her.

"Maddy," she asked after a moment, "can you feel the baby inside you?"

Maddy looked up from the book she was reading and smiled. "Not yet. Mom says I'll be able to pretty soon. And you might be able to fell it also."

Zoe smiled and let out a small laugh. "Really? That's so… weird."

Maddy laughed, her face breaking into a smile. Zoe put her dinosaur down and came over to Maddy's bed, sitting on her knees in front of her. "Can I listen?"

Maddy frowned at her. "Listen for what Z?"

She giggled again. "Listen for the baby!"

Maddy laughed also. "I don't think you can hear it, but you can listen if you want."

Zoe leaned forward, putting her ear to Maddy's stomach and listening for a moment. "Hello baby," she said softly, "I'm Zoe, your sister… no, your niece?" Maddy laughed and Zoe's head bobbed in reaction, making her laugh too.

"You are her aunt."

Zoe got up and cocked her head to the side. "But, aren't aunts usually older?"

Maddy gave her a sad smile. "Usually. But you get to be special."

Zoe seemed to like that and went down again, putting her ear to Maddy's stomach and continuing to talk. A moment later, the door to their room slid open, revealing her mother and father. Liz laughed out loud when she saw what Zoe was doing.

"Zoe, honey, what are you doing?"

Zoe looked up quickly and turned to them. "I'm talking to the baby!"

Liz couldn't help but smile and Maddy smiled back. Jim, however, looked ready to bolt again and, after a moment, he did just that. Liz sighed as she closed the door behind her and she saw Maddy's eyes begin to tear, Zoe's confused expression. She sat down next to them on the bed and pulled them both close.

"It's going to be all right Maddy, really. Your dad loves you, that's why this is so hard for him."

Maddy pulled roughly out of her mother's grip and shook her head. "No, if he loved me, he would let me know that he supports me and doesn't care that I'm having a baby. And he would forgive Mark."

Liz's expression was sad. "I know, but that's easier said than done. He feels partially responsible and every time he's reminded that you're pregnant he feels guilt."

Maddy looked at her, confused. "Why does he feel responsible? That doesn't make sense."

"Well," Liz began, "It does if you think about your father and who he is. He feels like it's his job to protect his family. He feels like it's his job to protect you from harm. He failed in doing that, he failed his duty. It may be silly, but that's the burden he puts on himself and that's why he feels this way."

Maddy sighed. "Well, he's just making things worse. If he would just accept the fact that I'm pregnant and move on, everything would be better."

Her mother hugged her again. "I know honey."

After a moment, Maddy pulled away and Zoe took Maddy's hand. "I love you Maddy," Zoe said, "and I don't care what Daddy thinks. I'm glad you're having a baby!"

A small tear fell from Maddy's eye and she smiled through it.

"And," Liz said, "I'm going to talk to your dad tonight, okay? We'll work through this. Don't worry."

OOOOO

Later that night, Liz did just that. She was lying in bed when Jim finally came home. He slid open the door to their room quietly, trying not to wake her, but she was wide awake. She turned to him and waved the light on. He blinked in surprise at the bright light.

"Where have you been?" She asked with a half worried, half accusing expression. He began to undress, pulling off his shirt.

"I just went for a walk. I needed to clear my head."

"Jim!" She said with a disbelieving tone. "Your daughter is pregnant! She hasn't killed anyone!"

He continued to undress, looking for all the world like he was ignoring her. After a moment he replied quietly, "I realize that Liz, it's just… it's hard that's all."

She sighed. "I know it's hard, believe me, but if you keep treating your daughter like this you're going to alienate her and you don't want that."

She could see Jim's jaw working from where she was sitting. "Maybe I do," he said, still facing the wall.

She looked at him disbelievingly. "You don't mean that."

He whirled to her. "Maybe I do! I failed her, Liz! I was supposed to protect her and I let her date that… that… bastard Mark without a second thought!"

"Jim!" she exclaimed at his outburst.

"What?" he threw back. "Are you going to tell me not to talk about him that way? Not to talk about the father of my daughters child that way? Because he deserves it!"

"How can you say that? You know they were just two kids who lost their heads! They're in love, Jim. They didn't commit a crime!"

"How can you say that?" he said, taking a step towards her. "The 'losing of their heads' is going to cost them, and the cost is steep. My little girl is going to be a mother. She's not ready! Do you remember when you were 16? I could barely take care of myself, much less anyone else! What's she going to do? She deserves every chance to become what she wants to become and now she's lost that chance! And all because Mark didn't use his brain."

Liz got up slowly and looked at Jim with a sympathetic eye. "Jim… I know how you feel, believe me. But alienating your daughter is not the way to deal with it. She needs you Jim, now more than ever. And Mark does to. They both have a long road ahead and we need to support them, whatever happens." He turned away, putting a hand behind his neck and letting out a breath. She sighed and continued.

"Jim, I know it feels like you failed Maddy and I know it feels like she's not going to be able to do everything she wants to with her life but, she is going to be able to do what she wants. We're going to help with the child and she'll have time to pursue whatever she wants to do."

Jim sighed heavily, looking out one of the high windows, his eyes glinting with moonlight. "It just feels like I should have seen this coming, I should have talked to Mark, I shouldn't have let them be so close."

Elizabeth smiled sadly and came to wrap her arms around his midsection. His arms came around her shoulders, pulling her in tight.

"We can't worry about the past. It's done, over with," Elisabeth said. "We have to move forward. I know you feel responsible because I do to, but pining over past mistakes isn't going to help Maddy now."

Jim sighed heavily and held her tighter. "I know. I just don't know what to do now."

"We'll figure it out Jim, one day at a time."

OOOOO

Two days later, Jim rose early and prepared a backpack of food. Then, ever so quietly, he entered Maddy and Zoe's room, sitting lightly on Maddy's bed and rubbed her back to wake her. When her eyes fluttered open, she was surprised to see her father sitting above her.

"Rise and shine pumpkin. I have a surprise for you."

She almost pulled the blankets over her head again but curiosity got the better of her. "Okay, I'll be up soon."

10 minutes later, she was dressed and standing in the kitchen putting her shoes on. "So," she asked her dad who was standing next to her, waiting. "Where are we going?"

He smiled at her and shrugged. "It's a secret."

She rolled her eyes at him but smiled anyway. She was glad he was acting normally again.

They made their way outside, where the sun was just coming up, checked out a rover, and were out the front gate before the sun had cleared the ridge to the east. Ten minutes later, they turned a corner and came upon a site that took her breath away.

Limestone rock formations jutted up from the ground all around them, many rising hundreds of feet into the sky. Deep green foliage; vines, leaves, and moss, covered the cliffs and were dotted in several spots with blush flowers, lavender roses, and smoky lilies. But beyond all this was the most breathtaking view of all: a large, wide water fall cutting its way between the cliffs and coming to rest in a deluge of spray and bubbles, the river created by the waterfall running past their rover.

"Oh dad," Maddy breathed, "It's beautiful!"

He smiled at her and took his gun, jumping out of the rover. "I thought so. And I knew you would love it too."

She smiled. He was more right than he knew. It was probably the most beautiful spot she'd been to yet. She climbed out of the rover to after him and they both grabbed supplies from the back of the truck. Her father laid out a blanket on the ground next to the river and set down a basket on top. He turned to her with a smile on his face.

"Breakfast at the river. What could be better?"

Maddy smiled and laughed. "Breakfast in bed?"

He raised his eyebrows in agreement and sat down on the blanket, getting out different foods and laying them on the blanket. Maddy sat down next to him, watching as he took out many of her favorite breakfast foods.

Turning to him, she asked, "How did you know so many of my favorite foods?"

He winked at her. "My secret."

"Mom," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Of course."

They sat in comfortable companionship as they ate and Maddy exclaimed at some of the new flavors that graced her favorite dishes. Her father said he'd made some of them himself. They spoke of mundane things like the coming day and the beauty of the water, the children at school and what they were learning. Maddy noticed her father was carefully avoiding the baby subject and wondered when he would bring it up.

After they had finished their food, her father reached into the bag and brought out a small woven sack. He looked at her and smiled, fingering the sack as he did. Then his face turned serious.

"Maddy," he said, turning so they were facing each other. "I know I've been less than understanding about… what happened. I was wrong and I'm sorry. I was so angry, I didn't know how to deal with it. I wanted you to still have the chance to be a kid and now… well, now you can't be." He paused as he saw tears fill her eyes. He sighed, holding the bag tightly. "I need your forgiveness Maddy."

She looked at him for a moment, one tear dripping down her cheek, and then she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, his arms coming around to hold her in response.

"Oh Dad, I forgive you. I'm sorry that this happened and I'm sorry I didn't think before I acted. I should have been smarter."

He tugged away from her and placed his arms on her shoulders, looking at her firmly in the eyes. "Maddy, I want you to know that you don't have to be sorry any more. What's done is done okay? This baby is coming and we're all going to love it. This is going to be a wonderful thing for us all okay?"

She nodded and he pulled his arms back to open the cloth bag, pulling out a ring made of silver ore and carefully sculpted to be in the shape of vines and leaves. He held it out to her. Looking at it carefully, she took it from him and watched as the sun glinted off it.

"Your mother and I bought this for you yesterday at the market. It took someone a long time to carve and many loving touches were put into it." He smiled slightly at his daughter who looked so much like his wife. "I want you to wear it, at least till the baby comes, because your mom and I will be with you the whole way okay? And we're going to put just as much love into you and the baby as was put into that ring okay? More!"

Maddy nodded, tears entering her eyes again. "Thanks dad, it's beautiful." She slipped it on her right hand index finger and it fit perfectly. She smiled. "Mom?"

Her father nodded. "Of course!"